Cochiti Lake
Cochiti Lake held 58,941 acre-feet on Nov 2, 2026, 133.6% of its conservation pool: much above normal for the date (the middle of past years is 100.3%).
A flood-control dam with a conservation or recreation pool beneath a much larger flood pool. On Rio Grande, at the Santa Fe River confluence. Rio Grande basin.
These lakes hold a normal "conservation" or recreation pool and keep a much larger space empty to catch floods. Percent is measured against the conservation pool, so a reading above 100% means flood water is being held back.
Last 365 days
Percent of the conservation pool, against the middle and spread of the same date in other years (the shaded bands: the middle half and the 10th to 90th percentile of past years).
- Median of past years
- Percent of conservation pool
- 10th–90th percentile of past years
- Middle half of past years
Show the data as a table
Year by year
The highest, average and lowest percent of the conservation pool in each calendar year. The latest year is partial. Years whose capacity is less certain are marked in the table below.
- Highest
- Average
- Lowest
Show the data as a table
The comparison uses 30 years of 1991-2020 whose capacity figure is published, current-table, high- or medium-confidence, 1991–2020, pooling 3 days either side of each date.
Readings are what the operating agencies report; we have not audited the latest values. Reclamation labels its data "provisional and subject to revision unless otherwise noted."
Year-by-year table, with how well capacity is known
| Year | Days | Most (acre-feet) | Average | Least | Highest % | Average % | Lowest % | Capacity figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 306 | 58,941 | 43,408 | 41,459 | 133.6% | 98.4% | 93.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2025 | 365 | 47,589 | 44,541 | 41,986 | 107.8% | 100.9% | 95.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2024 | 366 | 46,160 | 44,104 | 42,347 | 104.6% | 99.9% | 96.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2023 | 365 | 138,388 | 64,965 | 39,586 | 313.6% | 147.2% | 89.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2022 | 365 | 43,287 | 41,609 | 39,985 | 98.1% | 94.3% | 90.6% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2021 | 365 | 43,621 | 41,966 | 40,904 | 98.8% | 95.1% | 92.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2020 | 366 | 46,551 | 43,883 | 41,944 | 105.5% | 99.4% | 95.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2019 | 365 | 54,557 | 46,375 | 43,581 | 116.5% | 99.0% | 93.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2018 | 365 | 48,563 | 46,258 | 43,634 | 103.7% | 98.8% | 93.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2017 | 365 | 53,494 | 47,108 | 44,355 | 114.2% | 100.6% | 94.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2016 | 366 | 51,835 | 46,250 | 44,420 | 110.7% | 98.7% | 94.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2015 | 365 | 49,837 | 47,971 | 46,084 | 106.4% | 102.4% | 98.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2014 | 365 | 51,121 | 48,101 | 45,774 | 109.1% | 102.7% | 97.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2013 | 365 | 73,193 | 50,005 | 45,627 | 156.3% | 106.8% | 97.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2012 | 366 | 54,622 | 51,526 | 48,910 | 110.7% | 104.4% | 99.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2011 | 365 | 53,526 | 51,207 | 49,454 | 108.4% | 103.7% | 100.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2010 | 365 | 81,591 | 54,819 | 51,167 | 165.3% | 111.1% | 103.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2009 | 365 | 60,087 | 52,093 | 49,454 | 121.7% | 105.5% | 100.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2008 | 366 | 55,328 | 50,805 | 49,204 | 112.1% | 102.9% | 99.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2007 | 365 | 62,121 | 51,690 | 48,334 | 125.9% | 104.7% | 97.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2006 | 365 | 51,167 | 49,466 | 47,424 | 103.7% | 100.2% | 96.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2005 | 365 | 95,369 | 52,009 | 47,796 | 193.2% | 105.4% | 96.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2004 | 366 | 53,441 | 50,165 | 47,719 | 108.3% | 101.6% | 96.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2003 | 365 | 51,985 | 49,531 | 47,511 | 105.3% | 100.3% | 96.3% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2002 | 365 | 53,725 | 50,488 | 47,896 | 108.8% | 102.3% | 97.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2001 | 365 | 52,646 | 49,617 | 47,565 | 106.7% | 100.5% | 96.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 2000 | 366 | 53,370 | 50,216 | 47,577 | 108.1% | 101.7% | 96.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1999 | 365 | 54,578 | 48,558 | 45,055 | 110.6% | 98.4% | 91.3% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1998 | 365 | 61,775 | 58,979 | 56,656 | 121.5% | 116.0% | 111.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1997 | 365 | 79,792 | 58,854 | 56,101 | 156.9% | 115.8% | 110.3% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1996 | 366 | 59,574 | 57,221 | 56,031 | 117.2% | 112.5% | 110.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1995 | 365 | 131,810 | 61,018 | 53,975 | 259.2% | 120.0% | 106.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1994 | 365 | 123,187 | 58,903 | 51,858 | 242.3% | 115.9% | 102.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1993 | 365 | 83,180 | 52,778 | 49,031 | 163.6% | 103.8% | 96.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1992 | 366 | 93,552 | 54,166 | 45,451 | 184.0% | 106.5% | 89.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1991 | 365 | 111,466 | 56,290 | 45,926 | 222.4% | 112.3% | 91.6% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1990 | 365 | 52,000 | 50,121 | 47,061 | 103.7% | 100.0% | 93.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1989 | 365 | 61,027 | 51,979 | 47,856 | 121.7% | 103.7% | 95.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1988 | 366 | 247,651 | 91,580 | 48,238 | 494.0% | 182.7% | 96.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1987 | 365 | 396,167 | 202,515 | 49,855 | 832.9% | 425.8% | 104.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1986 | 365 | 300,997 | 144,361 | 50,446 | 632.9% | 303.5% | 106.1% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1985 | 365 | 282,716 | 148,660 | 45,431 | 594.4% | 312.6% | 95.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1984 | 366 | 76,668 | 48,667 | 45,506 | 161.2% | 102.3% | 95.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1983 | 365 | 78,569 | 46,644 | 42,227 | 165.2% | 98.1% | 88.8% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1982 | 365 | 48,690 | 41,554 | 39,923 | 102.4% | 87.4% | 83.9% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1981 | 365 | 49,804 | 46,455 | 45,236 | 110.9% | 103.4% | 100.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1980 | 366 | 71,884 | 49,294 | 45,548 | 160.0% | 109.7% | 101.4% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1979 | 365 | 184,370 | 66,757 | 44,790 | 410.4% | 148.6% | 99.7% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1978 | 365 | 59,802 | 52,791 | 46,948 | 126.1% | 111.3% | 99.0% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1977 | 365 | 49,190 | 47,548 | 47,059 | 103.7% | 100.2% | 99.2% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1976 | 366 | 60,950 | 48,025 | 47,082 | 128.5% | 101.2% | 99.3% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
| 1975 | 365 | 56,225 | 26,960 | 3,548 | 118.5% | 56.8% | 7.5% | Capacity published by the operator for that year |
About this reservoir
The Army Corps' flood and sediment control dam on the main stem of the Rio Grande above Albuquerque, completed in 1975. It keeps a permanent recreation pool of about 1,200 surface acres, maintained with San Juan-Chama water, and otherwise passes native Rio Grande flow through except when it is holding back floods. Everything the Rio Grande delivers to the middle valley passes through Cochiti first.
How to use these numbers
- The middle Rio Grande's inflow gauge. Cochiti inflow is effectively the whole upper Rio Grande and Chama delivered to the middle valley. Its annual volume and peak are among the most useful single numbers for the health of the system.
- Flood regulation. days in flood storage and peak flood-pool percent show when and how hard the flood pool was used. A spring with the pool filling and then drawing down is snowmelt being metered out.
- Managed spring releases for the bosque. The Corps has used deviations in Cochiti's flood operations to hold spring runoff and release it as a shaped pulse that floods the bosque overbank and supports the Rio Grande silvery minnow. Those operations appear here as a spring storage rise followed by a sustained high release. Confirm specific years against Corps deviation records.
- Sediment trapping. Cochiti stops most of the upper basin's sediment. Its capacity loss over time is a direct measure of the load that no longer reaches the middle valley and Elephant Butte.
Read before quoting a number
- Percent of conservation pool describes the recreation pool only. It is expected to sit near 100% in almost every year and says little about water supply. The days spent in flood storage carry the hydrological signal.
- The dam registry's 722,000 acre-foot figure is flood capacity. Do not divide storage by it and call the result how full the lake is.
The dam
| Dam | Cochiti Dam |
|---|---|
| Owner | USACE - Albuquerque District (Federal) |
| Operated with | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| Type | Earth |
| Purposes, per the dam registry | Flood Risk Reduction, Other, Recreation |
| Completed | 1975 |
| Height | 251 feet |
| Hazard class | High |
| Registry capacity | 722,000 acre-feet at most, 50,130 normal. Owner-reported and not corrected for sediment. |
National Inventory of Dams, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
How capacity is known
Capacity comes from the operator's elevation-to-storage table (USACE, effective 2020-01-01), checked against the storage the operator reports. Since the table took effect, it reproduces reported storage from reported elevation to within 0 acre-feet in the median (0.00% of storage), across 2,498 days. Where an older table was in force, we recover its capacity from the record and say how well supported it is.
| Pool | Elevation (ft) | Capacity now (acre-feet) | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of conservation poolused as 100% | 5,345.5 | 44,129 | CWMS level Cochiti.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Conservation dated 2025-02-25 |
| Top of flood pool | 5,460.5 | 570,192 | CWMS level Cochiti.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Flood dated 1900-01-01 |
| Top of dam | 5,479 | 766,819 | CWMS level Cochiti.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Dam dated 1900-01-01 |
Capacity over time (10 tables in force)
| Period | Capacity (acre-feet) | How well supported |
|---|---|---|
| 1974-12-31 to 1975-12-311974-1975 table | 80,368 | Capacity recovered from the record, moderately supported |
| 1976-01-01 to 1978-12-311976-1978 table | 80,368 | Capacity recovered from the record, moderately supported |
| 1979-01-01 to 1982-12-311979-1982 table | 80,368 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1983-01-01 to 1987-12-311983-1987 table | 73,157 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1988-01-01 to 1991-12-311988-1991 table | 68,427 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1992-01-01 to 1993-12-311992-1993 table | 63,931 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1994-01-01 to 1998-12-311994-1998 table | 63,931 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 1999-01-01 to 2012-12-311999-2012 table | 56,044 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 2013-01-01 to 2019-12-312013-2019 table | 49,088 | Capacity recovered from the record, well supported |
| 2020-01-01 to 2026-11-02current table | 44,129 | The operator's current table fits the record |
Rivers
Data and sources
Record from 1975 (52 years with readings), through Nov 2, 2026. Where several agencies report the same reservoir, we take each day's value from the first in this list that has one:
- Bureau of Reclamation HydroData: 18,934 days
Year by year (CSV) · Last 365 days (CSV)
Credit: Bureau of Reclamation HydroData; National Inventory of Dams (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers). Capacity analysis by New Mexico Water. Data accessed November 4, 2026.